ESO’s Very Large Telescope Will Aim Where Voters Choose

NGC 246

Nicknamed the "Skull Nebula," NGC 246 is a planetary nebula surrounding a dying star. It is 1,600 light-years away, in the constellation Cetus.

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)

NGC 2035*

*This is not the star-forming region NGC 2035 but a similar one in the Large Magellanic Cloud, an irregularly shaped galaxy that orbits the Milky Way. At about 164,000 light-years away, it's the third closest galaxy to our own.

Image: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

NGC 1788

NGC 1788 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion. It's about 1,300 light-years away.

Image: ESO

NGC 1566

NGC 1566 is a spiral galaxy 60 million light-years away in the constellation Dorado. It is a Seyfert galaxy, a type of galaxy which resembles a quasar (but is less energetic).

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Kennicutt (University of Arizona) and the SINGS Team

NGC 1398

NGC 1398 is a large barred spiral galaxy at the southern edge of the Eridanus cluster. It is 65 million light-years away, with a diameter of 135,000 light-years.

Image: Sean and Renee Stecker/Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF

NGC 1055

NGC 1055 is a spiral galaxy about the same size as the Milky Way. It's located 60 million light-years away, in a small galaxy group in the direction of the constellation Cetus.

Image: Bill and Joy Kendall/Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF

Messier 79

Messier 79 is a globular cluster in the hemisphere opposite the Galactic Center, in the constellation Lepus. It is 40,000 light-years away, about 60,000 light-years from the Galactic Center.

Image: Wikimedia/Circumferenceofaturtle

Medusa Nebula

The Medusa Nebula is an old planetary nebula 1,500 lights years away in the constellation Gemini. It has an estimated diameter of four light-years.

Image: Wikimedia/Jschulman555

Gum 26*

*This is not Gum 26 but a nearby region called Gum 29. It's a massive stellar nursery at the edge of the Carina arc, associated with the star cluster Westerlund 2. (The observing target, Gum 26, is a large cloud of ionized gas where star formation occurs.)

Image: ESO

Gum 19

Gum 19 is a star-forming region in the direction of the constellation Vela, 22,000 light-years away. The giant, superhot star V391 Velorum fuels its brightness.

Image: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2

If you've ever secretly wished you were an astronomer, now's your chance.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary on Oct. 5, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is hosting two competitions for its Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile: one that lets you choose what the telescope observes, and the other, a chance to come to Chile and help with the VLT observations yourself.

Normally, astronomers must apply far in advance to use the telescope, and few are selected. For its competition to "Choose What the VLT Observes," ESO has identified an assortment of interesting astronomical objects visible the night of the anniversary, which we have included in this gallery, and you can vote for your top choice.

Voters will also be entered in a drawing for prizes. The drawing winner will score an iPad, and 10 runners-up will receive ESO books and other loot.

The second competition, "Tweet Your Way to the VLT," asks people to tweet their reasons for wanting to visit the VLT (in official ESO member state languages). The winning tweeter gets an all-expenses-paid trip to Chile to assist with VLT observations of the winning object.

The deadline for both competitions is Aug. 31 at 5:59:59 P.M. EST.

Above:

CG4

CG4 is a cometary globule, a small, isolated cloud of dust and gas with a characteristic head and tail. It lies in the Puppis constellation, 1,300 light-years from here.

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/WISE Team

Toby Jug Nebula*

*This is not the Toby Jug Nebula but a similar reflection nebula called Barnard's Merope Nebula. Reflection nebulas are clouds of dust that reflect the light of nearby stars. (The Toby Jub Nebula is named for its resemblance to the ornamental English drinking mug.)

Image: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Thor's Helmet

Thor's Helmet is a cosmic cloud shaped like a winged helmet. It's a kind of interstellar bubble, formed by wind blowing outward from a giant star at the center of a molecular cloud.

Image: Wikimedia/Fabian_RRRR

NGC 2362

NGC 2362 is the "young" 25-million-year-old Tau Canis Majoris star cluster. It contains about 60 stars, at a distance of 5,000 light-years away.

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA

NGC 2217

NGC 2217 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Canis Major ("Great Dog"). Its tight spiral arms form a near-circular ring around its center.

Image: ESO

NGC 986

NGC 986 is a southern barred spiral galaxy with a gas-rich center that could fuel starbursts. Its central star-forming region may be in a growing phase.